Insurance May Back Up Station Plans

November 16, 1986|By Sarah Oates of The Sentinel Staff

DELAND — The search for special liability insurance may delay plans to restore the DeLand Amtrak station.

The DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce has commitments for labor from the DeLand High School Bulldog construction class and local contractors, but no blanket liability insurance. Amtrak requires that the chamber, which is organizing the renovation, take out an insurance policy to guarantee that Amtrak will not be liable for damages to passengers or anyone else injured during the project.

The station was damaged in a fire New Year's Eve 1981 and is closed. The current Amtrak office is located in a trailer next to the station.

The high school students had planned to do the work on the station for a 1986-87 school year project and complete it in June, said chamber executive vice president Dal Ritchey. But the long search for the special liability insurance for Amtrak probably will delay the project a year, he added.

The chamber plans to raise money for the insurance policy from local businesses and community groups, Ritchey said.

''It's a very far-reaching, all-encompassing type of coverage for this little job,'' said Taver Cornett of the Page Agency in DeLand. He added that he should be able to find an insurance company to provide $2 million worth of liability insurance in about two weeks, but he doesn't know how much the policy will cost.

The chamber already has liability insurance for the construction workers, Ritchey said. It will be donated by a local contractor who plans to serve as general contractor for the project and use his business insurance to cover the Amtrak station project.

The project will include fixing the roof, gutting the interior, installing new bathrooms and office space, and giving the exterior of the building a facelift. The renovation work will cost about $250,000, but much of the labor and materials will be donated. Amtrak will donate $130,000 to the project, Ritchey said.

The chamber decided to aid Amtrak's efforts so the entire station, a historic structure built in the 1920s, could be fully restored, Ritchey said. ''They didn't have the budget to rebuild the station. We're pleased they put $130,000 into it,'' he said.

''It's going to get done. We just don't know when,'' Ritchey said.

The DeLand train station is the only railroad stop in Volusia and Flagler counties. About 18,000 passengers use the station each year, according to an Amtrak spokesman.